Hello--I'm so glad to have found this place.

Please take a look at this photo: http://homepage.mac.com/beehive5/PhotoAlbum22.html

I bought this Phrag about a year ago at the big orchid show in NYC. It had buds on it when I brought it home and bloomed nicely, but I've seen nothing since. The new growth looks healthy, although I'm still waiting for flowers. But the old growth is turning brown. Is this normal? Should I expect the old growth to wither and die or should it spike and flower again? What can I do to help the new growth flower? Seems like it should have bloomed again by now.

This plant is currently in an East window (I live in NJ). I had it in a direct-sun south window for quite a while but the leaves were getting very light so I moved it.

Btw I think this is a phrag bessea. The flowers were deep red.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!
:) Elissa

Hi, Elissa! :welcome:

From what I can tell from the pics, it does look like a bess hybrid to me and yes the older growths die off naturally after they are done blooming. The new growths will spike and bloom when matured and of course under the right conditions as well. Did the plant come with a tag?

Hello--I'm so glad to have found this place.

Please take a look at this photo: http://homepage.mac.com/beehive5/PhotoAlbum22.html

I bought this Phrag about a year ago at the big orchid show in NYC. It had buds on it when I brought it home and bloomed nicely, but I've seen nothing since. The new growth looks healthy, although I'm still waiting for flowers. But the old growth is turning brown. Is this normal? Should I expect the old growth to wither and die or should it spike and flower again? What can I do to help the new growth flower? Seems like it should have bloomed again by now.

This plant is currently in an East window (I live in NJ). I had it in a direct-sun south window for quite a while but the leaves were getting very light so I moved it.

Btw I think this is a phrag bessea. The flowers were deep red.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!
:) Elissa

You really need to keep the tags that come with the plant so you know for sure. If it is besseae, then it would probably require a bit different conditions than some of the hybrids. It is probably Andean Fire or Mem. Dick Clements (doesn't really look like straight besseae).

Regardless, just from the picture it looks like the plant isn't beyond hope. It needs repotting... It really looks like that pot is too big for the plant. The plant also looks a bit dried out, which can happen if you aren't watering enough, or if the roots have rotted because the mix is bad. Only way to tell is to unpot it and check.

Each fan will only bloom once. Eventually old fans die off. That could be what is happening. I'd like to see more new fans than you have on the plant before an old one would die off.

Thanks, Peter. I feel much better now!

The plant did come with a tag but it has since disappeared.

Thanks again!
:) Elissa

Dick Clements sounds familiar but I can't be sure.

Thanks, I will try repotting to see how bad the roots look.

Please note the plant is not actually potted in the terra cotta. It's in a 6" plastic pot which is just sitting in the clay pot so it looks nicer on my table. Should the pot really be smaller than it is? Here's another picture: http://homepage.mac.com/beehive5/PhotoAlbum23.html

:) elissa

Welcome Ellissa, we're glad you found us too!

It looks as though there are two newer growths, the one previously bloomed that is not looking too hot, and another perhaps mature growth, is that correct?

When you unpot the Phrag, be sure to remove all the old bark/media from the roots and trim out any that are hollow and/or mushy. After that, you want to pot the plant in the smallest pot that will still fit all the roots comfortably, and be sure to get mix all around the roots. In general, phrags tend to like moist conditions, most of the time, and I agree with ROB that it looks a bit dried out.
:wink:

Dick Clements sounds familiar but I can't be sure.

Thanks, I will try repotting to see how bad the roots look.

Please note the plant is not actually potted in the terra cotta. It's in a 6" plastic pot which is just sitting in the clay pot so it looks nicer on my table. Should the pot really be smaller than it is? Here's another picture: http://homepage.mac.com/beehive5/PhotoAlbum23.html

:) elissa

I was looking at the inner pot... *grin* It is really hard to tell without seeing the roots. For example, I'm repotting all of my phalaenopsis now, and some plants that are absolutely tiny have huge root systems. And vice versa. But use the pot that fits the roots, whatever size that is.

Well, I repotted the plant and although the pot was totally rootbound, about 75% of the roots were dead. I was happy though to see some good, strong, green tipped roots. So I put the plant back in it's original pot, but now it's definitely too big. I went and bought a new smaller pot and I'm going to repot it now.

Thanks all for your help. :) Elissa